I can't remember exactly when they started rapidly adding more and more work to my plate, but now something is expected of me that is definitely not realistic. My manager is not interested to hear any arguments, he wants to meet the unrealistic goals, so maybe the only solution is to leave? That's easy to say but hard to do when there are no alternatives. How do you deal with being overworked?
18 replies (most recent on top)
yes, the bribe, good point
from what I saw though it looked like Micron was replacing americans with h1bs which they already got sued for, sigh
In reality the risk is higher of a lawsuit from employees that are not laid-off.
The driving reason they give a severance package is because by accepting the severance you are signing a contract that prevents you from filing or joining a lawsuit against the company. In this recent layoff Micron blatantly violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The severance agreement specifically, by name, specifies that by signing the severance agreement you have waved your rights under the ADEA.
The severance package is esentialy a bribe to allow the company to violate the law. This is in part why the severance payout is weighted to give more to workers with more years of service. If you have been with the company for 20 years you are almost certainly in the age protected class so they give you the largest bribe.
"One less severance check to pay this fall."
Also I think if you leave voluntarily, Micron is less likely to get sued.
"At the end of the day they don't need any documentation to give you a 1 or a 4."
I think the documentation is just for legal cover.
"My manager is not interested to hear any arguments, he wants to meet the unrealistic goals, so maybe the only solution is to leave?"
You are spot on. Micron is still bleeding cash and we haven't reached the original attrition targets, much less the revised goals. Getting you to self exit is exactly what our leadership prefers. One less severance check to pay this fall.
LMFAO....
"you won't get dinged when performance reviews happen if you clearly document the amount of work you accomplished"
Clearly this person has no clue, or they are flat out lying. You get fit into the preformance review distribution for your department and it is entirely up to your manager to fight for you to get a higher position in that distribution. You can document your work to your hearts content, but if your manager or his manager wants to give you a 1, 2 or 3, all they have to do is point to the list of things you didn't get done. At the end of the day they don't need any documentation to give you a 1 or a 4. It is entirely up to thier discretion. You are foolish to believe anything else.
If you have a mild dispositioned manager that is not willing to fight for his team you are screwed. This is true in the preformance ranking process and when the next layoff comes around. If your manager is not a type A personality you need to make sure his manager loves you and will fight for you. I personally would recommend moving out from under a mild mannered manager.
Micron's buisness process favors teams with strong and forcefull leadership.
I had a chat with an M3 after the layoff, I asked how hard his team was hit. His response was that he was told he needed to cut at least 5 by his VP. His response was a firm and flat NO. He fought for his team and didn't have to cut a single person.
Do not feel trapped at Micron.
"That's easy to say but hard to do when there are no alternatives." This is what they want you to believe, however it is not reality.
Get your resume and LinkedIn profile up to date and let you friends ands professional connection know that you are looking for new opportunities. You may be surprised what opportunities are available.
You are nothing more than a disposable resource to them. All you need to do is look at the strong performers that where let go in Feb and March. There are departments that cut thousands years of Micron experience. In some departments the average tenure of the cut employees was in the excess of 20 years and the average age was over 45. Saving money was the objective, not retaining knowledgeable workers with decades of experience and a proven work history.
Assigning you more work than you can handle is a classic tactic to justify a low performance rating and in an attempt to get you to self exit. I'd get while the getting is good on your terms, not Micron's.
A lot of us are in hopeless positions with the sheer amount of attrition our teams have endured. Document what you accomplish well and go home before sunset. Intolerable workloads reflect more poorly on your leader than it does on you and, believe it or not, you won't get dinged when performance reviews happen if you clearly document the amount of work you accomplished. They don't know your day-to-day job but the people who hand out the ratings and hold the rifle during cutbacks can recognize when workload is being piled onto a team member when you take some time to convey how much you're being asked to do.
i think this was in a dilbert cartoon
the pointy-haired boss says work smarter not harder
micron classics
https://screenrant.com/funniest-dilbert-comics-scott-adams/#the-perfect-manager
How to deal with being overworked?
"Comrade Napoleon is always right" and "I will work harder!"
George Orwell (“Animal Farm”)
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/us/politics/semiconductor-worker-shortage.html
The amount of work is not a problem.
Insufficient resources and no recognition are.
Gift cards for busting your a-s at work was just pathetic:)
What about directors
jira - the beloved tool of skilless managers - to make one look like they are doing a lot of things when in reality they are accomplishing very little
Same and my manager started asking me to track how much time I spend on everything so it wastes my time even more.
what area or geo are you in
What are the names of the managers?
Internal transfer or find an employer who values your work bc no position or unrealistic manager is worth forgoing your well-being or health With so much remote work, seems some option is possible